BTH and Saab collaborate for safer and more efficient communication for intelligent airborne platforms

Today, the military, which can control and limit access to the electromagnetic spectrum, has a clear advantage in conflicts. BTH and Saab have been conducting research within Vinnova’s aeronautics research programme for several years.

Superiority in the electromagnetic spectrum is a key military capability driving the development of increasingly powerful jammers and advanced electronic warfare systems.

Within the Vinnova* aeronautics research programme, Saab AB and BTH have conducted research on intelligent systems for aerial platforms. By combining mobile ad hoc networks with directed communications, longer ranges and reduced risk of interception are achieved. The research addresses challenges like high relative speeds between platforms and the dynamic network topology. (* Sweden’s innovation agency)

“The collaboration between Saab and BTH has gone beyond conventional communication between airborne platforms by developing reliable data links in the air. Our innovative solutions have great potential to support a reliable and flexible airborne ecosystem with dynamic networks,” says Hans-Jürgen Zepernick, BTH Professor of Radio Communications.

The research has led to the concept of a network protocol and waveform that can be implemented on hardware. This is the first step towards developing expertise in airborne-directed data links to replace legacy systems. The technology can also be used in other areas, such as at sea, on land and in space.

“This project is a first step towards developing expertise in directed airborne data links, thanks to collaboration between local industry and academia. The innovative solutions strengthen the collaboration between Saab and BTH and improve the alignment between research and industry needs. This also contributes to advanced radio and ultra-reliable low-latency communications, with many future applications,” says Alexander Westerhagen, Technical Fellow at Saab AB.

The collaboration has resulted in several technical reports, conference papers and scientific articles. Their work ‘Hybrid Orthogonal-Nonorthogonal Multiple Access for CR-Assisted Cooperative UAV Systems’ was honoured with the Best Paper Award at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Communications and Electronics. In addition, the researchers have filed a patent application for their network innovation: ‘Situational Awareness based MANET Topology Control Protocol for Directive Airborne TDL Communication’.